Contact:
Lois Whitehead, Public Relations Manager
212-719-8405
lwhithead@nysscpa.org

NEW YORK, NY, June 29, 2006 – Twenty-eight high school juniors will graduate tonight from the 20th Annual Career Opportunities in the Accounting Profession (COAP) program, started in 1987 to expose minority youth to careers as CPAs. Sponsored by the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) and Pace University, the program has expanded to nine university locations throughout the state and boasts an alumni network of 950 current and potential accountants and other finance professionals.

“This program is invaluable in providing high school students with a practical look at the inner workings of the accounting profession at a key point in their college selection process,” said C. Daniel Stubbs, Jr., Senior Vice President and CFO, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. and Chair of the Pace COAP Program.

The COAP program began due to the lack of minority professionals in the accounting profession. Even today, only two out of ten new accounting hires are from minority backgrounds. By attending courses and seeing accountants in their work environments, these students are given an opportunity to see what possibilities lay ahead of them. All of the sessions are conducted by CPAs, some of whom are Pace University alumni. These students live on the Pace University campus for the one-week program, giving them a first hand look at college life.

The Pace COAP program, which is free of charge for the students, includes lectures from NYSSCPA members as well as tours of CPAs in action at MTV, and Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm. Keynote speaker at tonight’s graduation banquet is Carol Greene, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Dean of the Lubin School of Business at Pace University.

Other CPA committee members of the Pace COAP Program include: James Brown, Controller, TIAA-CREF; Lynne Byrne, Associate Dean, Pace University; Angie Cerone, Director of Finance, Ernst & Young, LLP; Theresa Clark Messer, Director of Finance, National Basketball Association; Taiwo Danmola, CPA; Elizabeth Diep, CPA, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Damon Duke, CPA, Citigroup; Dan Hobson, Manager, Minority Inititatives, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Anthony Kendall, Partner, Mitchell & Titus, LLP; Steven Mendez, CPA, Ernst & Young; Veda Stanley, Account Manager, Clarendon National Insurance Company; Lemar Swinney, Partner, KPMG, LLP.

About the NYSSCPA

Representing 30,000 CPAs, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA) is the oldest and largest state accounting organization in the nation.
Incorporated in 1897, the Society is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to establish and maintain high standards of integrity, honor, and character among certified public accountants. Its members are CPAs working in public practice, industry, government and education in a state that serves as the home of Wall Street and major financial institutions.

The New York State Society of CPAs is located at 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. To learn more about the Society call 800-633-6320 or visit the Society’s website at www.nysscpa.org.